Hydroelectric power plants use the force of falling water to generate electricity. It’s one of the safest sources of energy that is also reliable and cheap.
Some of the earliest hydroelectric power plants were set up in and around London. In the 1870s, English industrialist William George Armstrong built one such plant at Crag-side, in England. This was perhaps the world’s first hydroelectric power scheme. It used water from the lakes on his estate to power the generator.
In 1882, a central station was built In Godalming, England, using hydroelectric power. This time, it was to provide street and household lighting to the public. But this project ended up as a failure.
However, many hydroelectric projects were conceived all over the world by then. It is said that in 2015, hydro power generated 16.6 per cent of the world’s total electricity. Almost 150 countries have hydro power plants today, with China being the largest producer of hydroelectricity.
